[You step out of the portal to the farm. First thing you notice is a lot of Arabic people on the front lawn, most of them wearing men's clothes. Likely Claude's. Claude doesn't have enough, though, so some have to be content with blankets. Lazar's there, too, but conveniently he's busy assisting the people and not free to talk unless Jesse wants him to. There's also a few Europeans, and a Japanese woman.] [Jacqueline is not there.] [Though the chopper pilot (Rich? I think he was Rich. We'll call him Rich) is. The chopper's where you left it, too.] * Alys runs around wherever she can see someone European-looking. "Deirdre Onedyr? Has anyone seen Deirdre Onedyr?" [Claude looks up from a villager with his four eyes as you arrive. "Hm. I must say, you people aren't making it easy for me to live my life quietly."] * Khalil walks over and surveys the people, looking for anyone he knows. Sometimes a quiet life is not always possible. * Khalil looks back at Alys. "All from my village, yes. No one else important though." ["Hmph. Tell me about it. There's a woman in my bedroom and another on my couch. You can go see 'em if you want. Excuse me." He gets back to helping out with the rescuees.] Right! Into the house, then. * Khalil goes into the house to check. * Alys follows! ["Hey, I'm gonna stay out here for a bit," Ensof says.] * Togo nods at Ensof, and follows the others. [You enter the house! Conveniently, the parlor is located right in front. Jacqueline is there, just finishing putting a blanket over another Arabic woman. This one looks to be in kind of bad shape. There's dried blood from a cut on her forehead, and her arm looks like it's been burned with acid or something similar. Jacqueline has materials for performing first aid, though the injuries look a few days old.] * Khalil 's eyes widen as he sees the woman and he runs up to her, embracing her. He mutters one word and breaks down into tears as he puts his head against her. Sister? [She doesn't respond, though. She's asleep!] * Alys slows down and stops. "Hey Jackie. Is she going to be okay?" [Jacqueline nods. "I think so. She was hurt pretty badly, but she should recover in due time."] I hate to be kinda rude, but which way is the bedroom? I feel like I should stay here and by sympathetic, but I'm kind of worried myself, so. [Jacqueline smiles. "I understand, you're worried about your mother. The bedroom's down the hall and to the right." She points.] * Alys grins. "Thanks!" She runs off to the bedroom. * Togo stays for the moment. "You guys did a damn good job. Rescued a ton of hostages." ["It was mostly Lazar and Ensof. They've been doing this for a while. And besides, we wouldn't have been able to get so many out if they hadn't turned most of their force around to protect the computer."] * Rowyn lets go slowly, crying slightly, then wipes his eyes. "No. But my mother. I thought she was..." He lets go slowly. "Where did you find her?" ["In one of the cell blocks. I don't think she's been, um, experimented on, due to her injuries."] Why would he keep her though? Inas said there was a fight... [Jacqueline frowns. "Your guess is as good as mine."] ["Something just doesn't add up. It's like... It's like Valmont and Shibamura didn't really care about their base of operations."] How do you mean? [She shakes her head. "I don't know... It just seems like there should have been more of a resistance. Like..."] [She gestures. "When people are backed into a corner, they fight with everything they've got, because they have nothing to lose."] So you believe that they have gotten what they wanted and the rest is inconsequential... Valmont did run off in the middle of the fight, leaving the computer exposed... Five'll getcha ten they have a backup facility somewhere. * Khalil frowns. "With Naila. What do they want with her...?" [Jacqueline nods. "But what could they want that's more important than their home base? And even if they do," she turns to address Togo, "they wouldn't leave their main facility without a fight."] Which suggests that that was not their main facility? [She shakes her head. "The amount of damage losing the supercomputer would do would cripple Asahara operations. All I can think is that there's something more important to them than Asahara itself."] * Khalil frowns. "You mean they are not Asahara?" ["No. Well, I mean they are. Or were. But it's like they're abandoning the company."] End of the world. It's always the end of the world. * Khalil nods. "I am going to check on Alys. Let me know if Mother wakes." * Khalil walks in the direction that Alys went. [Jacqueline nods. "Okay."] They prolly figured out what they needed to figure out, took Khalil's sister, and are getting ready to do some ridiculous ritual to bring forth Cthulhu or something goddamn stupid like that. [Jacqueline nods. "It's possible. But still, Asahara's never been about destroying the world. They've always been a business at the heart of it. An unethical, corrupt and horrible business.... but ultimately for the money."] Take over the world, then. Same difference, really. [She nods, frowning. And then her phone rings!] (See, the problem is that the 'Take over the world' crowd and the 'Destroy the world' crowd never coincide. Because after you destroy it, there's nothing left to take over.) [Jacqueline picks it up. "Hello?" She listens for a bit. Exciting] * Togo replaces the barrel on his busted SMG in the meantime. ["Really? There? That's not good."] * Togo looks up. "Not good? Not good." *mumbles; continues working on the gun* ["I see. Okay, thanks." She puts the phone away. "Looks like we found our rogues."] * Khalil comes running from the direction of the bedroom and slows as he approaches. "Togo! Togo!" He lets out another breath then looks up. "Come quickly." * Togo looks up, twisting the new barrel back into place and slapping in a fresh magazine. "What's up?" Shibamura. He's projecting again. And Alys's mother... (*He is. I'm getting tired with those contractions. -_-) Oh, for fuck's sakes... *heads upstairs* [Jacqueline blinks and hurriedly follows.] * Khalil bows to Jacqueline. "Terribly sorry but it shall have to wait." He follows Togo. [You arrive in the bedroom to see Alys's mother (presumably) in the bed, white tendrils bursting from her arms and back. Her lower body has been replaced by a large mound that continues to swell, untill the bedsheets fall off. It's white and rubbery, looking kind of like a hydra (the oceanic organism, not the multi-headed dragon).] ... Jesus fuck. * Khalil mutters low under his breath. "" [Alan just stares in horror. "Deirdre!"] ( Gimme acrobatic rolls! ) 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8-2) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 8. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8) and gets a natural 9 for a result of 9. ( IS THIS SOME KIND OF CHRISTIAN MAGIC?! ) [The bottom swells until it's nearly ten feet tall, naturally breaking the room into pieces. It looks like a really wide, rubbery squidsnake. Kinda... Sorta.... Kinda. Deirdre screams and pushes her way out of the house and outside. This is followed by more screaming from the captives.] * Togo pulls out his revolver, loaded with stun bullets. "I can stop her, Alys. Non-lethal. Say the word." * Alys swallows and nods. "Do it. Please." * Khalil looks at Alys, then Alan, then Togo, then draws out his whip. "Experiment, I take it." [Jacqueline stares up at her. "We have to do something! But...!"] ( Gimme init rolls! ) 2d8+14 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8+14) and gets a natural 13 for a result of 27. 2d8+13 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8+13) and gets a natural 5 for a result of 18. 2d8+14 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8+14) and gets a natural 13 for a result of 27. (We are the trinity of awesome init.) [Khalil, Togo, Dierdre, Alys, All the Other NPCs.] * Khalil snaps out and tries whipping it around the legs, attempting to tangle it. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-2) and gets a natural 11 for a result of 9. [It, uh, doesn't actually have legs.] ( Yes. It has tentacles. It's like a hydra. The microorganism. ) (Tentacles then. Whatever it's using to move with.) (And it's still a make.) [It's using tiny feelers to crawl along the ground. Kinda hard to wrap a whip around that.] (Fine. What CAN I whip?) ( The body, or some of the tendrils in the air. There's... oh... 12 in all. ) (Well he's trying to whip something that he'd be able to tie off and restrain it somehow.) * Khalil whips around a tendril then and tries to tie it off if it stays. [Khalil wraps around it, but it more drags him along than he ties it down.] [Togo!] * Togo raises his revolver up and fires a stun bullet at the thing. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets a natural 9 for a result of 6. ( Oh, -2 bonus to hit the thing if you're aiming for the main body, since it's so freakin' big. ) [The bullet hits and the entire thing shudders, but it keeps going! In fact, the pain makes it thrash around, tendrils landing everywhere. There's some screams from outside, more of the house is mashed, and.... Khalil and Togo, gimme def rolls!] 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets a natural 6 for a result of 3. 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-4) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 3. [Both of you dodge as tendrils slam down into the house.] [Alys!] * Alys murmurs, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," as she pulls out one of her stronger wards and throws it at the thing. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8-2) and gets a natural 5 for a result of 3. ( This is for not buying me a pony! ) [The skin hisses as the ward connects.] [Alan just stands there, stunned. Meanwhile, Jacqueline makes her way out and throws up her hands, yelling "Ensof, no!" Ensof was charging in with his great sword, but halts at her shout.] [Lazar and Claude are making sure none of the others get hurt.] [Khalil!] ( ... no rocket launchers, right? *GLARE* ) * Khalil looks up. "Does it have a weak point? I'll try to strike it to knock it out." He looks for a way to get up on the back and get to the base of the neck. If it even has a neck. (Oh, the joys of rocket launchers versus the fact that it's her mom.... choices, choices...) [Deirdre's upper body is still there, way up top, and it does have a neck!] * Khalil doesn't think that that's going to work. "...I think I am going to have to..." He looks around for something dusty (and will probably have to wait till next turn!) ( Dusty? Uhhh... <.< ) [Togo!] (What? He needs to sneeze!) * Togo fires another shot at the thing. "If anyone else has non-lethal force they can use on this thing, now'd be the time!" 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 4. * Khalil yells. "I'm trying! If you get me something to sneeze, I could hold it!" He looks up and adds, "Probably." [Another bullet hits the creature! It spasms some more, Tendrils falling everywhere. Khalil, gimme a def roll! Alys, gimme 2 def rolls!] 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-4) and gets a natural 9 for a result of 5. 2 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2 2d8-2) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 5 8. [The both of you manage to dodge out of the way! Alan doesn't quite see it coming, though. A tendril slams into his chest and knocks him into the far wall.] [Alys!] * Alys looks over at her dad, then back at the thing and throws another ward at it. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8-2) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 5. [The ward connects, bringing more burning.] [Meanwhile, Alan staggers to his feet, but doesn't look like he has any idea what to do. Jacqueline throws a punch at the thing's body, though, and the thing convulses in pain.] [Khalil!] ( There's dust from the collapsing walls and ceiling, but that's about it. ) * Khalil tries to get himself to sneeze, but it just doesn't work. "Why do people keep their houses so clean around here?" He winds up throwing his own punch at the hydra thing. 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-4) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 6. [It wobbles unsteadily.] [Togo!] * Togo cocks the hammer back on the old double-action revolver, and fires another round at the mom-beast. 2d8-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-5) and gets a natural 14 for a result of 9. [It wobbles again, then falls over, the tendrils flailing everywhere. Togo, gimme 2 def rolls. Alys, gimme 1.] 2 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2 2d8-3) and gets a natural 9 for a result of 8 6. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8-2) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 8. [Togo dodges one tendril only to get hit by a glancing blow from another. Alys is just fine, though. So's Jackie and Alan, when tendrils fall towards them, too.] [Alan quickly runs up to her more human part. "Deirdre! Deirdre!"] * Togo rubs his shoulder. "Smarts." * Togo quickly reloads his revolver with stun bullets as he goes to check on Alys' mom. * Khalil gets back his whip and tries to tie some of the more menacing tendrils together, just in case. * Alys runs up to the human part as well. "We've got to be able to fix this! There has to be -something-!" [Jacqueline pulls out her cell phone.] What'd Shibamura say? He did this because my dad left. Can you believe it!? That -bastard-, I'm going to kill him as soon as I can find him. I'll, I'll cut his fucking head off, he's so -dead-. [Jacqueline nearly shouts into her cell phone. "Claire! You've got to come here right away! One of the captives was transformed into a mutant! We knocked her out, but I don't know what to do!"] * Togo nods. "We might wanna call in HESO. If anyone'd have the resources and the know-how to help her in these parts, they would." * Khalil looks around. "This is--" His eyes widen for a moment. "Mother!" He rushes back downstairs to make sure that room didn't have anything collapse in as well. [Alan sobs. "Deirdre!"] Anything to help her, please. [Meanwhile, Khalil finds that some stuff fell over, but the room and his mother are both intact.] ["Hurry!" Jacqueline says. She puts the phone away and moves up towards the others. "What can we do?"] * Togo nods. "Gimme a minute. I'll hit the phones, see if I can't call in a few favors." (Is she awake? If not, that woman can sleep through nuclear winter.) [Alan stands up suddenly, screaming at the sky, "ASAHARAAAAAAAAAAAAA! DAMN YOU!"] ( She's asleep still. ) ( I got enough NPCs as it is. ) (I'd love to be able to sleep while the house falls apart around me! Maybe I wouldn't be so tired during my work week if I could do that. ;P) * Alys sits down on the ground and stares at her parents. "I'm so tired. I don't know what to do." * Togo shakes his head, and hands Alys his pistol. "In case i- she wakes up. Be right back." *walks off to the side a bit; starts making calls* [Despite getting injured, Alan doesn't look tired. In fact, he starts walking off!] * Khalil takes in a deep breath and starts heading back up the stairs. If he bumps into Alan, he stops him. [Jacqueline puts a hand on Alys's shoulder. "I'm sorry. If there's something I can do..."] * Alys stares at the pistol. "I appreciate that, Jackie, thanks." [Jacqueline nods.] [And Khalil probably sees Alan, but he isn't stopping.] * Khalil turns towards Alan. "Are you running from this again?" [Ensof comes over, too. "God damn Asahara."] [Alan glares at Khalil. "Not running. I'm going to find that smug little bastard and make him PAY!" And he storms off!] My birthday's in a week... I wonder if I need to offer to help pay for repairs... [Claude comes over, too. He looks at Alys, and at his house, and back at Alys. "Uhhh........ I'll take an IOU."] * Alys nods. * Khalil watches Alan go. "He is an idiot." He turns as he goes towards Alys. "No offense." You're totally right. I shouldn't have to deal with this. * Alys sighs and stands up. "But I have to anyway." [Ensof: "I have a few friends back in Japan.... I'll talk to them, see what I can do. It'll be okay, kid, alright?"] Yeah... Nor should any of us. * Khalil watches where Alan went. "I suspect that where he is going though, I shall find my sister. But first, I must make certain my mother is okay." He frowns. "I wonder if she tried to confront him..." [Session End!]